Osteoporosis comes from many places. For instance, menopause is among the most common factors. But, there are countless risk factors for osteoporosis. Your lifestyle is the most likely one. That’s where soft drinking and osteoporosis come in.
Soft drinks aren’t healthy. It doesn’t matter the perspective.
They elevate your blood sugar considerably. But, osteoporosis is something we don’t mention enough.
So, let’s see how soft drinking can boost your osteoporosis chances.
What’s the link between soft drinking and osteoporosis?
We have many possible explanations behind soft drinks’ bone damage. Unfortunately, the real link is quite elusive. The theories include soft drinks merely replacing healthier alternatives.
Yet, we can also find theses defending that the ingredients are the problem. For example, soft drinks are often acidic. So, the issue could be the drinks themselves.
Then, why don’t all soft drinks damage our bones equally? We’ll get to that in a bit.
Soft drinking instead of nutrition
One theory is that drinking soda takes away from drinking milk and other healthy beverages. Essentially, we’re replacing healthy intake with an unhealthy one. Thus, our bones don’t receive the calcium they need.
In this case, the concern wouldn’t be the soft drinks by themselves. It would be the imbalance between soft drinks and nutritious liquids.
But, a few theories clash with this one.
What could be behind soft drinking and osteoporosis?
Soft drinks are notoriously acidic. The main culprit could be phosphoric acid.
Our bones demand phosphorus. But, that’s usually in a healthy phosphorus-calcium ratio (more on that in a bit). Getting more phosphorus than calcium can lead to bone loss.
Caffeine is another possible factor. It messes with our calcium absorption. That’s why caffeinated drinks could do more damage. Yet, as you’ll see shortly, decaffeinated cola isn’t great, either.
Soft drinking, osteoporosis, and fracture risk: A real link
Fractures are part of the musculoskeletal diseases’ group. They’re responsible for a big portion of disabilities worldwide. Traditionally, its risk increases with bone loss—thus lowering bone density.
Well, this study finds an interesting link. China’s modernization naturally incurs a modern diet. A correlation appears between soft drink consumption and fracture rates.
What are the underlying mechanisms?
The study details several possible mechanisms. Let’s summarize them below:
- Drinking more soft drinks boosts our phosphorus intake. It could elevate it above our calcium intake. That’s especially true if we’re drinking too many sodas.
- Sugar, sodium, and other soft drink ingredients can lead to bone loss.
- Soft drinks can lead to obesity, thus placing more stress on our bones.
But, is soft drinking and osteoporosis the real link? Or is it just cola?
Before we end this article, I must go back to one topic. Not all carbonated drinks are harmful. The main culprit could be colas—and nothing more! Cola could have serious repercussions on women’s hips—according to the study.
These results remained true for decaffeinated and diet cola. But, other carbonated beverages showed no damage.
The main difference seemed to be the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio.
More research is necessary. But, it’s a great tip if you don’t want to give up soft drinks altogether.
The holistic takeaway
All parents know they shouldn’t let their children over-indulge with cola drinks. But, the issue goes way beyond lacking sleep and nutrition. For grown-ups, this concern becomes more troubling.
As we age, our bones become weaker. So, we must start taking care of them as soon as possible.
That brings me to my recommendation. The Bone Density Solution is your best bet to keep your bones healthy. It teaches you easy exercises and tips to prevent bone loss.
To learn more, check out my official review!
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